Yellow Burmese Python, fully-grown
The Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) is a very large python native to southern Asia, and common in the US pet trade.
Infant Burmese pythons are often sold as pets in the United States, and are made
popular by their color and easy-going, docile nature.
However, these animals have a rapid
growth rate, and will exceed 7 feet in length by their first birthday if cared
for and fed properly. By age 4, they will have reached their adult size, though
they continue growing very slowly throughout their lives, which may exceed 20
years.
While this species has a well-deserved
reputation for docility, it is a very powerful species, capable of inflicting
severe bites or killing a keeper by constriction should a mistake happen (such
as attempting to handle the snake after handling rabbits or rodents). In more
mundane concerns, they consume large amounts of food, due to their size, and
require large, often custom-built, enclosures, which can be very expensive.
These snakes, like others, will attempt to hunt, and as pets this means that
they will attempt to get out of their cages. Cage cleaning can be difficult, as
the feces of the snake are large, and fully adult pythons can produce droppings
that require a shovel to pick up. While this species is gentle, tractable, and
attractive, its sheer size and power make it an unsuitable choice for beginning
snake keepers, who are all too often lured into buying one by unscrupulous pet
shop owners.
It is semi-arboreal, but heavy-bodied. The record length is less than 7 m (23
feet) and the average is 4 m (13 ft). Females are the larger sex.
They are light colored snakes with many dark brown blotches covering them in an
attractive pattern, which has further increased their popularity with both
reptile keepers and the leather industry. The pattern is similar in color, but
different in actual pattern to the African rock python, sometimes resulting in
confusion of the two species outside of their habitats.
Their natural prey are birds and mammals. They are often found near villages due
to the presence of rats and other vermin as a food source. However, their equal
affinity for domesticated birds and mammals means that they are not always
welcome.
The Burmese python is capable of raising its body temperature while incubating
its eggs: by twitching its muscles it increases the temperature to slightly
above that of the ambient air.
Variations
There is an albino form of the Burmese python. These have been selectively bred
to produce a pure albino strain known as the golden python.
The source of this article and the photo shown is
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this
article is licensed under the
GFDL
*
WHEN YOU CONSIDER
BUYING A BABY PYTHON SNAKE AS A "PET", TAKE A LOOK AT THE PHOTO ABOVE.
WHEN THEY ARE FULLY-GROWN, WILL YOU BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO CARE FOR A PYTHON?
IN FLORIDA, WE HAVE A BIG PROBLEM WITH PYTHONS WHICH OWNERS HAVE RELEASED INTO
THE EVERGLADES WHEN THE OWNERS COULD NO LONGER CARE FOR THE SNAKES WHICH GOT TOO
LARGE TO CARE FOR THEM. SOME FIND THEIR WAY INTO HOMEOWNERS' YARDS,
CAUSING FEAR AND DAMAGE SUCH AS EATING SMALL CATS, DOGS; THEY POSE A LARGE
DANGER TO CHILDREN AND ADULTS AS WELL.
CHOOSE ANOTHER TYPE OF PET IS THE BEST ADVICE WE
CAN GIVE YOU.
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